Guy Mendilow: Live

Product Notes

Voted Boston's Best World Music Act - Best Music Poll 2005 - Boston Phoenix Winner, World Music Song Contest 2005 - Global Rhythm Magazine Top 20 Finalist, Unisong International Songwriting Contest 2006 Winner, Director's Choice Award - Mid Atlantic Song Contest 2006 "Mendilow is no dilettante - he learned the music of these countries by living and working there - so when he sings about a massacre by paramilitaries in Chiapas, he knows what he's talking about." - Boston Phoenix "The glory of what [Mendilow] does is finding a common ground among different cultures. And that's what makes his music so exciting." -Jewish Advocate "This is, to folk, what Bela Fleck is to Foggy Mountain Breakdown. This is unusual and exciting." - Philadelphia Folk Song Society ABOUT THE ARTIST: Through inventive arrangements and wildly creative instrumentation, Guy Mendilow transports audiences on a vibrant journey to the places he has called home - from Israel and South Africa to Mexico, Brazil and the United States - as well as a few destinations that exist only in his zany imagination. A bow, made with car tire wire, a branch and a gourd transforms into a full drum kit in Mendilow's hands, as he playfully re-invents age-old instruments. Alongside lush vocal harmonies, woodwinds and strings, the five members featured on this live disc create intricate textures with berimbaus, percussion, jaw harps that would make most beat-boxers' jaws drop, an electrified thumb piano and Mendilow's award-winning overtone singing. In "Mendilusia", ancient Sephardic romanceros meld with Brazilian bossa and Middle Eastern inflections. Audiences are captivated by the rare sounds drawn from the musical languages with which Mendilow has grown up, tickled by the group's down-to-earth humour, and moved by compositions and arrangements that convey experiences shared despite peoples' differences. The group's message is coming through loud and clear. The Guy Mendilow Band performs in theaters such as New York's Tribeca Performing Arts Center and at some of the nation's most established festivals like Musikfest and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Mendilow's innovative workshops, residencies and teacher trainings, focusing on improvisation as a tool for communication, have led to ongoing collaborations with cutting-edge international social justice organizations like Seeds of Peace and to invitations to present at schools and conferences across the United States and Brazil. --------------- PERSONELL: Guy Mendilow: Vocals, Overtone Singing, Berimbau, Guitar, Percussion Yulia Van Doren: Vocals Rajdulari: Vocals Andy Bergman: Saxophones, Electric Mbira, Jaw Harps, Flutes, Percussion Daniel Gale: Violin --------------- WHAT CRITICS SAY: "Mendilow is no dilettante - he learned the music of these countries by living and working there - so when he sings about a massacre by paramilitaries in Chiapas, he knows what he's talking about. Given the lack of content in so much pop music today, it's encouraging to hear someone continuing in the time-honored troubadour tradition - traveling the world, bringing the news." - Boston Phoenix, Best Music Reader's Poll (Voted Boston's Best World Music Act in 2005) "Guy Mendilow is quickly developing a reputation as a masterful, deeply passionate and sincere performer." - Global Rhythm Magazine (Winner, World Music Song Contest, Global Rhythm Magazine July 2005) "This is, to folk, what Bela Fleck is to Foggy Mountain Breakdown. This is unusual and exciting...the structure and creativity of this ensemble was evident." - Philadelphia Folk Song Society "The glory of what [Mendilow] does is finding a common ground among different cultures. And that's what makes his music so exciting." - Jewish Advocate "Mendilow mixes global reach [with] artistic depth...[he] isn't simply dropping in a style here or there for effect. He has managed to subtly infuse his originals about relationships and travel with warm folkish influences from around the globe. It never feels like a reach." - Boston Herald "Gorgeous, enchanting sound and technically rich music wrapped up in a fun, playful atmosphere. Guy Mendilow and Mendilusian Wine in concert is a night of pure musical magic." - Bay Windows "Mendilow's overtone [singing] was hauntingly beautiful and left the audience spellbound... this was an outstanding performance." - Northeast Performer "...an emerging master of overtone singing ... as compelling as [he] is diverse... The audience he is reaching is hearing him loud and clear."- Metrowest Daily News "...Vibrant musical storytelling awash with warm harmonies, captivating rhythms and rollicking, fast-paced vocal improvisations." - Cambridge Chronicle "Mendilow's globe-trotting career began at age 10 when he joined the American Boychoir. At 15, he set off on a solo career that has taken him to five countries. He speaks and sings in English, Hebrew, Spanish, and Portuguese. As a composer and arranger, he draws on Israeli, Hindustani, South African, jazz, blues, and folk influences." - Boston Globe "One of Boston's most original world-music acts."- Boston Herald.

Voted Boston's Best World Music Act - Best Music Poll 2005 - Boston Phoenix Winner, World Music Song Contest 2005 - Global Rhythm Magazine Top 20 Finalist, Unisong International Songwriting Contest 2006 Winner, Director's Choice Award - Mid Atlantic Song Contest 2006 "Mendilow is no dilettante - he learned the music of these countries by living and working there - so when he sings about a massacre by paramilitaries in Chiapas, he knows what he's talking about." - Boston Phoenix "The glory of what [Mendilow] does is finding a common ground among different cultures. And that's what makes his music so exciting." -Jewish Advocate "This is, to folk, what Bela Fleck is to Foggy Mountain Breakdown. This is unusual and exciting." - Philadelphia Folk Song Society ABOUT THE ARTIST: Through inventive arrangements and wildly creative instrumentation, Guy Mendilow transports audiences on a vibrant journey to the places he has called home - from Israel and South Africa to Mexico, Brazil and the United States - as well as a few destinations that exist only in his zany imagination. A bow, made with car tire wire, a branch and a gourd transforms into a full drum kit in Mendilow's hands, as he playfully re-invents age-old instruments. Alongside lush vocal harmonies, woodwinds and strings, the five members featured on this live disc create intricate textures with berimbaus, percussion, jaw harps that would make most beat-boxers' jaws drop, an electrified thumb piano and Mendilow's award-winning overtone singing. In "Mendilusia", ancient Sephardic romanceros meld with Brazilian bossa and Middle Eastern inflections. Audiences are captivated by the rare sounds drawn from the musical languages with which Mendilow has grown up, tickled by the group's down-to-earth humour, and moved by compositions and arrangements that convey experiences shared despite peoples' differences. The group's message is coming through loud and clear. The Guy Mendilow Band performs in theaters such as New York's Tribeca Performing Arts Center and at some of the nation's most established festivals like Musikfest and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Mendilow's innovative workshops, residencies and teacher trainings, focusing on improvisation as a tool for communication, have led to ongoing collaborations with cutting-edge international social justice organizations like Seeds of Peace and to invitations to present at schools and conferences across the United States and Brazil. --------------- PERSONELL: Guy Mendilow: Vocals, Overtone Singing, Berimbau, Guitar, Percussion Yulia Van Doren: Vocals Rajdulari: Vocals Andy Bergman: Saxophones, Electric Mbira, Jaw Harps, Flutes, Percussion Daniel Gale: Violin --------------- WHAT CRITICS SAY: "Mendilow is no dilettante - he learned the music of these countries by living and working there - so when he sings about a massacre by paramilitaries in Chiapas, he knows what he's talking about. Given the lack of content in so much pop music today, it's encouraging to hear someone continuing in the time-honored troubadour tradition - traveling the world, bringing the news." - Boston Phoenix, Best Music Reader's Poll (Voted Boston's Best World Music Act in 2005) "Guy Mendilow is quickly developing a reputation as a masterful, deeply passionate and sincere performer." - Global Rhythm Magazine (Winner, World Music Song Contest, Global Rhythm Magazine July 2005) "This is, to folk, what Bela Fleck is to Foggy Mountain Breakdown. This is unusual and exciting...the structure and creativity of this ensemble was evident." - Philadelphia Folk Song Society "The glory of what [Mendilow] does is finding a common ground among different cultures. And that's what makes his music so exciting." - Jewish Advocate "Mendilow mixes global reach [with] artistic depth...[he] isn't simply dropping in a style here or there for effect. He has managed to subtly infuse his originals about relationships and travel with warm folkish influences from around the globe. It never feels like a reach." - Boston Herald "Gorgeous, enchanting sound and technically rich music wrapped up in a fun, playful atmosphere. Guy Mendilow and Mendilusian Wine in concert is a night of pure musical magic." - Bay Windows "Mendilow's overtone [singing] was hauntingly beautiful and left the audience spellbound... this was an outstanding performance." - Northeast Performer "...an emerging master of overtone singing ... as compelling as [he] is diverse... The audience he is reaching is hearing him loud and clear."- Metrowest Daily News "...Vibrant musical storytelling awash with warm harmonies, captivating rhythms and rollicking, fast-paced vocal improvisations." - Cambridge Chronicle "Mendilow's globe-trotting career began at age 10 when he joined the American Boychoir. At 15, he set off on a solo career that has taken him to five countries. He speaks and sings in English, Hebrew, Spanish, and Portuguese. As a composer and arranger, he draws on Israeli, Hindustani, South African, jazz, blues, and folk influences." - Boston Globe "One of Boston's most original world-music acts."- Boston Herald.